Saving Rich Hill

[L Verge]

I don't know this for a fact, but I suspect that the county does not want to get into preserving, maintaining, and administering historic properties. They can be a drain on local coffers without a strong agency to back them. Restoration is only the tip of the iceberg.

Surratt House has been lucky to be supported by a State of Maryland-chartered agency, The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (est. 1927), and administered through the Commission's Prince George's County Department of Parks and Recreation. The Natural and Historical Resources Division of that Department oversees about sixty different sites in our county alone. That takes a hefty budget, and that is why our agency loves the volunteers and associates of the Surratt Society, because they do so much to support the museum and agency. Not all of our sites are blessed with such groups -- or with national history that makes it more enticing to the public.

Dave can correct me on this, but I do not believe that the Charles County government administers any historic properties. There are numerous ones in the county, but 90% are privately owned; another is run through the college and the Historical Society, another by State Parks, and another by NPS. I'm not sure what the Port Tobacco Restoration project depends on for financing.

It would be wonderful to get the reverter clause removed or amended so that the property would revert to a foundation or the county government after a certain time if the Historical Society could not get the job done. I don't see that happening, however.